Rotary folding-machine.



No. 660,343. Patented Oct. 23, I900. w. SPALCKHAVER.

ROTARY FOLDING IAGHINE.

(Application filed Oct. 21, 1899.

(No Model.)

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' Iwerafir THE norms PE\\'ERS 00.. PHoro-uwa, WASHNGTON, n. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM SPALOKHAVER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO ROBERTHOE AND CHARLES W. CARPENTER,

OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY FOLDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 660,343, dated October23, 1900. Application filed October 21,1899. Serial No. 734,336. (Nomodel.)

To 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SPALOKHAVER, acitizen of the United States,residing at New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryFolding-lvlachines, fully described and represented in the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in rotary foldingmechanisms.

In folding mechanism used in fast webprinting machinery the folding isordinarily effected bya cylinder which is provided with folding-bladeslying within the circumference of one of the cutting and collectingcylinders, said cylinder being provided, in addition to the foldingblade or blades, with one member of the cutting mechanism and also withsheettaking devices-such, for instance, as sheettaking pins-the othercylinder carrying the other member of the cutting mechanism. In theoperation of these cylinders a set of pins takes the leading edge of theweb and carries it onward, and after a length of web has been laid onthe cylinder the cutting mechanism operates to out off a sheet. Thesheet is then tucked intermediate its length by the folding-blade, whichis protruded from the cylinder for that purpose, into the bite offolding-rollers, by which the fold is completed. In this operation thefolding-blade is necessarily protruded beyond the surface of thecylinder for some little distance. At this time, therefore, thecircumferential speed of. the edge of the blade is greater than thesurface speed of the cylinder, and consequently than that of the sheetlying on the cylinder. The result of this is that there is a slipbetween the sheet and the edge ofthe blade, and if the folding-blade isarranged exactly half-way between the pins or other sheettaking devicesand the cutting mechanism the sheet will not be folded in its center,but will be folded so that one of the plies of the fold is longer thanthe other. This difference in length between the plies of the sheetvaries, of course, according to the speed at which the cylinder is run.After the folding-cylinder has been set up, therefore, it is necessaryto adjust either the cutting mechanism or the folding mechanism so as tocorrect the inequality in the fold. The adjustment of the folding-bladeis a difficult and expensive operation, and consequently is rarelyresorted to, the necessary adjustment being usually effected by shiftingone member of the cutting mechanism which is carried by the cylinder.This may be done in various ways and'is usually done by removing thecylinder and planing out the recess in which the block is located eitheron one side or the other, so that the block may be set either one way orthe other, according as the ply of the sheet between the foldingbladeand the cutting mechanism is longer or shorter than the other ply. Thisis not only an expensive operation, but is further objectionable,because the cutting-cylinder is usually provided with a plurality ofcutting members and a plurality of sheet-taking devices, thesesheet-taking devices being usually, as has been before'said, pins. Thesepins project through apertures in the cylinder, and consequently arecircumferentially inmovable. A movement of the cutting members eithertoward or away from the pins, therefore, varies the marginal distance atwhich the pins take the paper. If any considerable adjustment isnecessary, as sometimes happens, the pins will be caused to take thepaper either too far in on the margin, in which case they disfigure thepaper, or too far out, in which case they take .the paper too near theedge to secure a good hold and are liable to tear out of the sheet.Furthermore, the amount of variation in the fold depends upon the speedat which the cylinder is running. An adjustment, therefore, which iscalculated on the basis of a given speed of the cylinder is not theadjustment which is needed when the cylinder is running at a differentspeed.

It is one of the objects of this invention to produce a folding-cylinderin whichan-ea'sy, simple, cheap, and convenient means is provided forproducing adjustment between the folding-blade and the cutting andsheet-taking mechanisms.

A further object of the invention is to produce a folding mechanism inwhich an adjustment can be effected between the folding mechanism andthe cutting mechanism, which adjustment can be readily changed at anytime, so as to suit any variation of speed in the machine.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainconstructions and in certain parts, improvements, and combinations, aswill be hereinafter described, and fully pointed out in the claimshereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts,Figure l is a view, partly in section, of a pair of cutting and foldingcylinders, one of the cylinders being provided with one member of thecutting mechanism and sheet taking and folding mechanisms. Fig. 2 is afront View of one of the cylinders.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment ofthe invention, 1 indicates a cutting-cylinder of the ordinary type. Thiscylinder is mounted on a shaft 2 and is provided with the usualcutting-blade 3. The cylinder 1 cooperates with the cutting and foldingcylinder 4;, said cylinder being mounted on ashaft 5. The cylinder 4 ispreferably provided with a plurality of folding devices. In the presentinstance these folding devices are two in number and con sist of theordinary folding-blades 6 and 7, which are operated in any usual orordinary manner. Inasmuch, however, as the construction which operatesthem has no relation whatever to the present in vention,illustraiiou ofthe same has been omitted. The foldingblades 6 and ,7 cooperate with apair of rolls 8 and 9, the sheet being tucked between these rolls in theordinary manner. In addition to the two folding-blades before describedthe cylinder is also provided with a plurality of sets ofsheet-takingdevices, which, as shown, consist of two sets of pins 10 and11. pins 10 are jointed to'arms 12, mounted on a rock-shaft 13, and pins11 are jointed to arms 14, mounted on a shaft 15. The cylinder isfurther provided with a plurality of cutting members which cooperatewith the blade 3, these cutting members being the ordinarycutting-blocks 16 and 17.

As has been before indicated, in the operation of the devices so fardescribed the end of the web W, coming from any suitable source, istaken by the pins 10 and carried around until the blade 3 registers withthe cuttinggroove in the block 17, by which action a sheet is cut fromthe web. If the cylinder is not to collect, the cutting-blade '7 is nowprotruded and tucks the sheet between the rolls 8 and 9. If thecircumferential distance from the pins 10 to the folding-blade is equalto the circumferential distance from the blade to the cutting-block, ithas been found in operation that the two plies of the folded sheet willnot be equal in length,

The

this being due to the fact that as the blade 7 is protruded beyond thesurface of the cylinderit moves faster than the surface of the cylinder,and consequently faster than the sheet, thus producing a slip betweenthe two. In order to correct this inequality in the fold, the cuttingmember and the pins instead of being immovably mounted in the cylinder,is usual, are mounted so as to have a circumferential adjustment in thecylinder. This may be effected in various ways. Preferably, however, theeuiting-blocks 10 and 17 and the pin-shafts 13 and 15 will be mounted insegmental plates 18 and 19. These segmental plates 18 and 19 rest uponthe shoulders 21 22 23 '24, formed on the cylinder, the shoulders beingof sufficient depth so that the outer circumference of the segmentalplate coincides with the circumferential line of the cylinder. Thedistance between the radial parts of each pair of shoulders is greaterthan the circumferential length of the plates 18 and 19, so thatadjustment of the plates is permitted. i

The circumferential plates 18 and 19 may be secured to and adjusted inthe cylinder in any suitable or desired manner. Preferably, however, theplates will be given their circumferential adjustment by means ofadjusting-screws 25. These adjustingrscrews, of which there arepreferably two pairs for each plate, engage tapped holes in the sides ofthe plate, and their heads bear against the radial portions of theshoulders. By loosening one pair of screws and tightening the other itis obvious that the plates may be given the required circumferentialadjustment. The plates may be held in position after adjustment in anysuitable manner, but are preferably so held by means of set-screws 26,which pass through holes in the plates 18 and 19 and engage tappedholesin the cylinder. The pins 10 and 11 pass through perforationsformed in the plates 18 19.

It is obvious, of course, that the plates 18 and 19 instead of carryingthe cutting-blocks might carry the cutting-blades, which in this caseWou ld cooperate with a cutting-block carried on the cylinder 1. Theconstruction shown, however, in which the cutting members andsheet-taking device are adjusted, is preferred, as it is cheaper andsimpler.

Numerous changes and variations may be madein the construction by whichthe invention is carried into effect. It is to be understood, therefore,that the invention is not limited to the specific devices which areshown and described.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a cylinder carrying a foldingmechanism and provided with sheet-taking devices, and one member of acutting mechanism, of means for giving the sheet-taking devices and themember of the cutting mechanism a simultaneous circumferential adjustmentwith respect to the folding mechanism, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a cylinder carrying a foldingblade and providedwith a set of sheet-taking pins and one member of a cutting mechanism,of means for simultaneously adjusting the pins and cutting member withrelation to the folding-blade, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a cylinder provided With a folding-blade and.having sheettaking devices and one member of a cutting mechanism, ofmeans for adjusting the member of the cutting mechanismwith relation tothe folding-blade, substantially as described.

4:. The combination with a cylinder carrying a plurality of foldingmechanisms, and provided with a plurality of sets of sheet-takingdevices and a plurality of cutting members, of means for simultaneouslyelfecting an adjustment between each set of sheettaking devices andcutting members and its cooperating folding mechanism, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination with a cylinder pro vided with a folding-blade, ofaplate mounted therein, sheet-taking devices and a cutting member carriedby the plate, and means for ci rcnm ferentially adjusting theplate,substantially as described.

6. The combination with a cylinder provided with a plurality offolding-blades, ofa plurality of plates, sheet-taking devices carried byeach plate, a cutting member carried by each plate, and means forcircumferentially adjustingthe plates, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a cylinder provided with a plurality of rotaryfolding-blades, of a plurality of plates, sheet-taking devices, and acutting member carried by each plate, and means for circumfercntiallyadjusting the plates, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a cylinder provided with a plurality offolding-blades, ofa plurality of plates, a set of sheet-taking pinscarried by each plate, a cutting member carried by each plate, and meansfor circumferentially adjusting the plates, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a cylinder provided With a plurality of rotaryfoldi ng-blades, of a plurality of plates, a set of sheet-taking pinscarried by each plate, a cutting member carried by each plate, and meansfor circumferentiall y adjusting the plates, substantially as described.

10. The combination with acylinder provided with a plurality offolding-blades and having recesses therein, of a pluralityof segmentalplates seated in the recesses, each of said plates carrying sheet-takingpins and a cutting-block, means for circumferentially adjusting eachplate, and means for locking each plate in its adjusted position,substantially as described.

11. The combination with a cylinder provided with a plurality of rotaryfolding-blades and having recesses therein, ofa plurality of segmentalplates seated in the recesses each of said plates carrying sheet-takingpins and a cutting-block, means for circumferentially adjusting eachplate, and means for locking each plate in its adjusted position,substantially as described.

12. The combination with a cylinder provided with a plurality offolding-blades and having a plurality of recesses, of a plurality ofsegmental plates seated in the recesses, each plate carrying a set ofsheet-taking pins and a cutting-block, of two sets of adjustingscrewsfor each plate, and screws for locking each plate in position,substantially as described.

13. The combination With a cylinder pro vided with a pl n rality ofrotary folding-blades and having a plurality of recesses, of a pluralityof segmental plates seated in the recesses, each plate carrying a set ofsheet-taking pins and a cutting-block, of two sets of adjusting-screwsfor each plate, and screws for locking each plate in position,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof} have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM SPALOKHAVER. Witnesses:

F. W. H. CRANE, L. ROEHM.

